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Exhibitions Are An Essential Marketing Tool

13th July 2018

Making an Exhibition of Yourself!

Getting ourselves noticed doesn’t always come naturally to us. However, if you run a business, then that has to be your number-one objective. For those of you who are solely involved in e-commerce, getting noticed simply involves creating a social media presence, designing and utilising pay-per-click (PPC) adverts through Google, and search engine optimisation (SEO) to get your website ranked. But what if you deal with people on a face-to-face basis? What if you offer a service as opposed to, or alongside, products? How do you then get yourself noticed?

Trade Shows and Exhibitions

While it can be so easy to concentrate on creating an ‘online presence’ in today’s digital age, direct ‘real-life’ marketing still has its place, especially if you are a ‘service provider’. Meeting people, talking to them, discussing how you can help them on a face-to-face basis is still the most effective way of converting leads. Now going out and finding leads can be a thankless task at times, but what if those leads were searching for you instead? Isn’t that what trade shows and exhibitions are all about?

An already primed audience

The beauty of attending trade shows and exhibitions is that the organisers have already done the hard work for you when it comes to finding potential customers and clients. They will be coming through the doors in their droves, all eager to see what’s on offer. So, your challenge is not so much to find these people, but to ensure that they find you. Here at the Entwistle Group we understand this challenge better than most, which is why we have devoted a whole section of our business to promotional material for exhibitions, conferences and trade shows, or trade fairs as they are also known.

This may surprise you, but trade show popularity is growing rapidly

If you are thinking in the back of your mind that trade shows and exhibitions are a bit ‘old school’ and passé, time to think again. Don’t be fooled that the only way to find new customers is by increasing your digital presence through social media, and that without a Facebook page your business will sink without trace. As a prime example, in 2016 Accountex, the flagship accounting exhibition held over two days at London’s ExCel, reported a 24% increase in the number of visitors over the previous year, while a further 15% exhibition space had already been booked for 2017.

Trade shows and exhibitions aren’t the same as markets, but they share common ground

While the ultimate goal may be the same, trade shows and exhibitions differ from markets, not just in the way that ‘business’ is done, but also how you promote yourself. Imagine the cacophony of noise in an enclosed exhibition hall if every exhibitor were to start shouting out “Get your dog collars here!” or “Organic fertiliser, two bags for a tenner!” However, presentation is critical – you only have to look at your fruit and veg, or fishmonger stalls at the local market to understand what we mean. So, what are your options?

Pop-up stands – nothing can be more demoralising than trying to create a display stand using half measures, especially when you have to look out at other exhibitors who have strategically designed displays. It’s hard to promote your products or services when you have to fight against the backdrop of a display that does not do you justice. Our pop-up stands and banner stands are easy and swift to assemble, look the part, and from a psychological viewpoint, give you and your sales staff that much needed fillip to more easily persuade passing customers to stop and talk to you.

Display boards and leaflet holders – a critical part of your display stand will always be the display boards. These hold a triple role in that they help to attract passing ‘traffic’, enable visitors to gain a better idea of your business if you are not immediately available to talk to them, and have proven time and time again that they are the best place to locate leaflet holders. When busy, it is impossible to speak to everyone, but it is imperative you make every effort to ensure that all visitors leave with information and a physical reminder of your company.

Name badges – it’s all about attention to detail. Nothing creates a worse impression than a smart display stand matched to a scruffy name badge that has been hurriedly written out by hand as a last-minute afterthought. A smart name badge which reflects your corporate identity and which compliments as opposed to clashes with your display stand will send out the right signals, reflecting your attention to detail and your level of professionalism.

Corporate giveaways – again following on from the need to make sure that every visitor to your exhibition stand leaves with a physical reminder of who you are, branded ‘gifts’ such as pens, badges, key fobs – even diaries or USB sticks for those ‘special’ visitors can go a long way to continuing the promotion of your business long after the exhibition has ended.

Of course, face-to-face promotion doesn’t just have to be at an exhibition, but also includes conferences. Our delegate pack printing service is an essential component for any conference or exhibition. Get in contact with us and we’ll be happy to discuss our printing services for programmes, speaker biographies, speakers' notes, maps, name badges, place setting tent cards, branded bags and seating plans, which will all help to promote your business in its best light.